Investing in a camera and launching this business has given me the
chance to merge the two activities I love most, photography and blogging. After spending several months taking still life photos for my other blogging endeavors (That Bride, Weddingbee, and That Wife) I realized that I wanted to start spending time with people. I wanted to spend my days taking pictures of people that helped them to see how beautiful they are.
I want to capture the moments in your life as they are happening, as they would happen even if I wasn't there with you. When the light falls just right, and the boy and the girl look at each other just so, magic happens. I want to be there for that moment, composing an image that tells a story, your story.
You can read more about my personal life at That Wife, add me on Twitter, or find me on Facebook. Thank you for visiting and for commenting (I read them all and they make my day!).
As I prepare for the next big event in my life (the birth of my baby in April!), I'm going to be refocusing my business and sacling back on the number and type of sessions I am accepting. I'll be on maternity leave beginning in March and lasting through May. Please contact me if you have any questions!
Met up with Heather and her Maids of Honor for a Playdate session on the weekend of her bachlorette party. They were gifting her with this amazing weekend of surprises, so she decided to gift them with a photo session. Who wouldn’t love to have professional photos with their best friends?
It was crazy awesome, as you can see.
Little sister is married! Do all older siblings feel this incredulous at the thought that their younger kin are married off? Kelli Nicole, the main photographer for the day, was nice enough to let me shoot around her whenever I had the chance. Those chances didn’t come very often though because as both sister and MOHI was running around like crazy all day. I enjoyed playing “wedding coordinator” for the day, and remembered how much I love to plan things. I picked up my camera when I could, but otherwise I posed and yelled (yelled at people to get together for the photos) and re-applied my red lipstick.
They were married in the Columbia River temple in Kennewick e at 2:00 pm and then had a reception at Anthony’s in Richland. Consider this to be a little preview of the wedding day because I know that Kelli Nicole has much, much more to share! I recommend checking her blog daily until you see her teasers because I know they are going to be amazing. 
The bride had an awful trial a few days before so she decided to do her own hair. She did it herself first, but it didn’t turn out the way she had hoped so a bridesmaid did it instead. It looked so classy.
I gifted her a green cloth-covered hanger for the “dress photos” because I’ve seen way too many beautiful dress shots ruined by an ugly plastic hanger.
Are you dying to know where she ordered this bouquet? Call 1-800-Jenna Cole’s Mom.
Quite possibly my favorite pair of bridal shoes ever!
Sister had Grandma crochet her a garter with a blue ribbon through it to act as her something blue. They didn’t do the garter removal during the reception but she still wore it as a surprise for the groom once they got to the hotel.
Haha, this is such a Shay face.
I adore this shot! Definitely a lucky grab. My mom worked so hard to give Shaylene the wedding of her dreams and I love the bond this photo shows.
Bridesmaid Tawnee (the one who did her hair!) holding the mirror just right so Mom can place Sister’s veil just so. Oh yeah, Mom made the veil as well!
I really recocmend bringing a full length mirror to the hotel on your wedding day! It allows the bride to sit out in the open in the light instead of cramming in the bathroom the whole time.
Shay posed for a few portraits before heading out for the first look.
Adding lipstick, powder (my powder which she accidentally took with her at the end of the night, might I add), advil and other necessities to her sparkly clutch.
LDS couples who choose to do so are married in a small room of the temple with about 40 guests, a building that does not allow photos or video of any kind, so the moment when the bride and groom emerge from the doors is full of emotion and excitement. Many of those waiting outside are getting the first glimpse of the couple as man and wife!
Their first public kiss. I was able to attend the ceremony in the temple where they kissed as well and it was incredibly sweet and touching.
The bridesmaids had birdcage veils and the flower girls had little mini ones. Are there any words for how cute this is?
Shay with the niece that considered her to be family long before the wedding ever hapened. This little girl loves Shay! When I walked up to her she toddled over to me saying “Shay? Shay?”
I hope that cake buffets take the wedding industry by storm soon. They blow sculpted fondant cakes with bows and flowers out of the water!
I just happened to be sitting in the perfect seat at the head table to grab a few of the cake cutting.
He fed her a little morsel and then kissed her. How sweet!
Then she turned around and shoved an enormous piece (as well as two of her fingers) all the way inside his mouth. It was quite funny.
As the MOH I gave myself the assignment of decorating the getaway car. We stuffed the inside with white ballons and covered the outside with oreos to give it a polka-dot look. I wanted something funny yet classy.
I did not write that, in case you were wondering. My handwriting is awful. Thanks to bridesmaid Ashley who did!
Some naughty groomsmen took things a little farther than I wanted to and sprayed shaving cream under the door handles. When my husband pulled the car around for their getaway we warned him and he ended up cleaning them out with paper towels before the couple had the chance to reach their fingers in and make a mess.
Thanks to my husband for this lovely portraits of my friend Kelli Nicole and I at the end of the night. It had been a very long day, but the couple were beaming as they left, and our bellies were full of cake, so we were happy. Beautiful wedding, happy couple, and even better, it’s all over!
Gorgeous photos from the (actual) photographer to come soon!
Elizabeth and Casey are the first session I am posting that allows me to proudly say I’M SHOOTING THEIR WEDDING! All caps are definitely necessary for such an exciting announcement. My first wedding happened last weekend, and with Elizabeth and Casey I’m doing engagement, bridals, and wedding. It feels really amazing to reach these milestones that I consider to be significant indicators in my professional development. If you didn’t know already, starting your own business is killer work, and I believe those who take on the challenge should take the time to recognize each milestone as they overtake it. So here I am doing my happy dance: *Happy Dance*
But this post isn’t about Jenna Cole, it’s about Elizabeth and Casey, their beautiful faces, and of course their sweet, sweet, love. They met at a concert (seriously, if you are looking for love go to a concert, so many people I talk to met that way) and have been together for 6 years now. They’re both incredibly grounded, taking time out of life to visit the family ranch in Walnut Springs for fishing and camping, and hoping to have a family of their own one day. The three of us had a wonderful time wandering around historic downtown Fort Worth in the early morning light before heading over to the Fort Worth Botanic Gardens for lots of “pretty” photos. I thought it was a great mix!
Not that great of a photo technically, but super cool when you look at it knowing that the blur effect was done completely in camera. No joke! I bumped up the contrast and saturation on this one, but that’s it! No idea how I did it, but I hope to make it happen again someday.
I think this Elizabeth’s favorite. The sunburt coming through the kiss is always a crowd-pleaser, and I think for good reason. Plus how many sunburst-through-the-kiss shots have you seen with a prickly cactus in the frame? Not very many I bet.
I like that this crop gives it a bit of a panoramic feel.
My cowgirl grandma likes this one the best!
Just in cast you were wondering, we did not visit this lot. Obviously, since it’s “Privite”.
A very close contender for That Shot for me. I tend to process for bright colors and glowing skin, but this shot was crying out for some heavier processing and a bit of desaturation. I think the cart of “junk” on the right side balances the photo out very nicely.
Downtown Fort Worth is the kind of location you could shoot at all day long. Filled with all kinds of nooks and crannies to explore and SO MUCH character
We arrived at the Fort Worth Botanic Gardens about 15 minutes before the doors opened and so I suggested that we make the most of our time and take some pictures right next to the parking lot. These two can tell you that with each click of the shutter I exclaimed “Oh my goodness, the light out here is to die for!” I joked that we would pay to get into the gardens (because they charge a fee for professional photography on the grounds), and it would all be unnecessary because the best shots were happening in the parking lot!
Luckily we got some pretty amazing stuff inside as well, so I don’t think they regret the investment.
Casey deserves all credit for noticing this knot at the base of the tree that looked a bit like a heart. I suggested we add Elizabeth’s ring in the middle and so this purty ring shot was born. I hope Casey is planning on bringing that eye for details on the wedding day as well!
Elizabeth and Casey are getting married on October 17, 2009 in Arlington, Texas. And they are good kissers, as demonstrated here, so I know I”ll get something great when the big moment at the altar happens!
The doors to the gardens finally opened and we were disappointed to learn that the information concerning photography fees found on the website were completely inaccurate. We didn’t visit all of the areas we had originally planned on stopping by because of the outrageous fees they are charging, but I think photos like the one below prove you don’t always need to pay to visit the “popular” spots to get gorgeous locations!
This shot makes me laugh each time I see scroll past it. We were walking and I whipped around suddenly and said “Pose!” Casey drew Elizabeth close and I saw this. My clients can assure you that, if anything, I under-direct my shoots, but I like to throw people a curve ball every once in awhile and see if we can get something spontaneous that really works!
The rose gardens were a bit of a disappointment and it was already quite hot, so we stuck to the shade. I balaned precariously on a nearby park bench for this angle.
Remember that beautiful light from the parking lot? There must be something about the trees in Fort Worth because when you gather a bunch of them together in one place they filter the sunlight perfectly. I opened up my aperture to 1.2 and that’s when the magic happened. These are absolutely some of the best protraits I’ve taken to date, and they showed me why some of the best photogs out there swear by shooting wide open all the time!
I told them the jerseys screamed out for a “tough” pose. This is what I got.
THAT SHOT!
The way she is looking at him. The beautiful, beautiful skin tones. The way his pose and facial expression scream out how comfortable he is in front of the camera (or maybe he’s just a really good faker!). I would love to have a million pictures just like this one in my portfolio.
These two know how to have fun and make each other laugh. I count myself lucky to be able to spend so much time with them this year!
Elizabeth and Casey, October 17th can’t come fast enough! I’m looking forward to lots of laughs, a beautiful wedding, and spending the day taking picture of the two of you and your nearest and dearest. Thank you so much for giving me that opportunity. See you in a few!
Best,
Jenna
